We don't know how we missed this, but apparently, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony named their babies! The twins are called Max and Emme. Max was born at six pounds even, and Emme was a petite 5.7 pounds. They might have been named after a PBS show called Dragon Tales, TMZ tells us, but then what do they know. Anyway, they are pictured above. Kidding! Those aren't Max and Emme. We're going to have to wait until they are un-red and un-crinkly and are photographed for People to see what they really look like, but in the meantime we figured, why wait? With modern technology, we can just imagine what they look like.
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Spotted all over Paris (and on blogs galore): Mary-Kate Olsen in a gold-studded jacket that unquestionably weighed more than she did. Who ever was responsible for this most glorious piece of armor?, we wondered. And where the hell can we get it? After some digging and a few furious phone calls by the folks at Jeffrey, we hit pay dirt: It's Givenchy! Hallelujah! Ricardo Tisci, you are a genius! Get us to Barneys!

The Times may have jumped the gun in pronouncing the New York Wine & Food Festival a done deal in the meatpacking district. Caryl Chinn, of event organizer Karlitz & Co., tells us that, Lee Schraeger’s statement in the Times notwithstanding, the festival has not gotten permission to close down Ninth Avenue, nor has it tried to: “It never was our intention to close down Ninth Avenue.” There’s still a good chance that the event will take place in the meatpacking district, but ideally along four contiguous blocks, much like at South Beach. “We’re also looking at different parks,” says Chinn. So there is a festival, and it is on Columbus Day weekend. But where should it be? Make your suggestions in the comments.
Calling All Rock Stars in Aprons [NYT]
Related: Meyer, McNally, Nieporent Respond to New NYC Food FestivalAll South Beach Wine & Food Festival coverage READ MORE »

We were shocked recently to discover that a couple of our readers didn't quite understand just how stop-motion animation worked. So, we unearthed this little gem, which was created last year by Canadian high schooler Joel Plosz for a science-fair project.

Last night saw loads of magazine parties: The blazered GQ staff boogied down at Passerby, Wenner Media rocked out at Madison in the meatpacking district, and W celebrated its continued existence at Death & Co. We didn’t go to any of those, because we were at New York's own fiesta at the Cub Room. Unfortunately, we can't tell you much about that, partly because we're not allowed to but mostly because we can't remember much — except that we were pleased to learn that our co-workers like to party. And that Jessica Coen will do the splits if you ask her nicely. But we can offer you a report from inside the CosmoGirl soirée, held at the decidedly un-girlie Rumours, a tinsel-decked, wood-paneled sports bar on Eighth Avenue in midtown.
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If you've ridden in New York taxis for a long time, you're probably already wary of the credit-card machines that have been installed in many of them. The ones that have been in cabs for a couple of years now never really worked, and not handing over cash just feels weird. The Post reveals today that cab drivers are also suspicious of the devices. In fact, many of them would do anything to prevent you from swiping. According to the tabloid, they'd rather just grab your cold, hard cash and will lie about broken machines or fake policies to make sure that's how you pay. The Post doesn't specifically explain why some drivers would rather have you pay them in cash, but the implication that most cabbies are cheats is pretty heavy throughout the piece. The problem is so bad that the head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission himself was once prevented from using a credit card by a deceitful cabbie. The cabbies' union claims that the problem is the equipment, not the drivers. After the jump, some technical advice on what to do to avoid this problem.
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Gawker reported earlier today that the Beatrice was closed last night, though “no one knew why.” Co-owner Matt Abramcyk fills us in. In order to address noise complaints, Abramcyk was doing renovations to facilitate quick entry and exit to and from the club. However, someone failed to apply for a permit to do some plumbing work. “When [the mayor’s task force] shut construction down,” Abramcyk says, “they left us with our pants half down, since we were doing it to satisfy them.” He’s working with his lawyers to get his pants back up in time to open tonight  not that it matters to the 99.9 percent of the city that can’t get in anyway.
Paul Sevigny’s Beatrice Inn Shut Down Last Night [Gawker]
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Downtown icon and gay performing artist Dean Johnson died last week, friends just learned. The six-foot-six promoter was found dead by authorities in Washington, D.C., but remained unidentified until this week. Police are still investigating the cause. Johnson, 45, founded the iconic weekly party Rock and Roll Fag Bar in the late eighties, and also started HomoCorps, a monthly gay music showcase at CBGB, before the punk club closed. At times a porn star and at other times a rock star (he fronted Dean and the Weenies and later the Velvet Mafia), he was always recognizable by his height (often augmented by heels) and brazen eyewear. Friends say he helped shape the growing East Village art and club kid scene in the late eighties, continuing through to today, with popular and notoriously raunchy parties he's hosted at dive venues like the Hole and the Cock. He had battled drugs "historically," said his longtime friend Joe Birdsong. "But in the past year he had cleaned that up." Friends will celebrate his life next week at Rapture Café and Books on Wednesday at 8 p.m
The Velvet Mafia [Official site]
Dean Johnson – Death of a Legend [Motherboards]
Related:Party Favorites [NYM]
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